Laurie Beechman

All Music Guide:

Broadway star and recording artist Laurie Beechman grew up in the Philadelphia area, the daughter of a singing restaurant owner and a mother who worked in community theater. She studied drama at New York University, but dropped out after two years and remained in New York singing in a rock band. In 1977, she made her Broadway debut in Annie, also making her recording debut on the cast album, and voiced a character in the children's television movie The Fourth King. She appeared in the film version of the Broadway musical Hair in 1979 and was on the soundtrack album. In 1980, her band, Laurie & the Sighs, released a self-titled album on Atlantic Records and toured. She returned to Broadway in Pirates of Penzance in 1981, then got her first substantial role in a Broadway musical playing the part of the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which earned her a Tony Award nomination in 1982. In 1983, she was cast in the role of Grizabella in the first national touring production of Cats, then moved to Broadway in the part, remaining with the show more than for five years. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1989, but managed to continue her career during periods of remission from the disease. In 1990, she took over the role of Fantine in the Broadway production of Les Miserables, playing the part for six months. That November, she released her debut album, Listen to My Heart, on DRG Records. In October 1992, she married Neil Mazzella, a theatrical set builder. She performed in cabaret and in concert, with occasional returns to Broadway and regional theater. She released her second album, Time Between the Time, in 1993, and her third, The Andrew Lloyd Webber Album, on Varèse Sarabande, in 1995. Her fourth and final album, No One Is Alone, a collection of inspirational songs from Broadway musicals, was released in 1996. She died of complications from ovarian cancer in 1998.

Wikipedia:

Laurie Hope Beechman (April 14, 1953 – March 8, 1998) was an American singer. As a performer, she was known for her Broadway performances in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, and Les Misérables. In addition to her Broadway work, she also led a solo career as a cabaret performer and a recording artist.

Early life

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she possessed an incredible singing voice, powerful, yet subtle and nuanced. After moving to Haddon Township, New Jersey, she graduated from Haddon Township High School in 1971.

She subsequently enrolled at New York University. Dropping out of NYU after a few years, Beechman made her Broadway debut in 1977 as part of the original cast of Annie, playing five different roles. This led to small roles in the Public Theatre's production of The Pirates of Penzance and the film version of Hair.

A detour into rock and roll resulted in the 1980 Atlantic Records release Laurie and the Sighs. With little support from a new management team at the label, the album failed badly and Beechman was looking for stage work.

Broadway

Beechman made her Broadway debut in the original Broadway cast of Annie. She played various roles, most notably "Star to Be," a role which was written for her after the creative team heard her powerful voice, and she is credited in the original Broadway cast recording.

She played the lead role of the Narrator in the original Broadway cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat during its first Broadway production in 1982, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress (Featured Role -Musical) and a Theatre World Award.

In December 1983, Beechman headed the First National Company of Cats as "Grizabella, The Glamour Cat" when the tour opened in Boston. Within four months, she assumed the role on Broadway, replacing Tony winner Betty Buckley. Belting out the show's hit song "Memory", Beechman stayed with the show for more than four years and made occasional return engagements over the next decade.

Set to take over the role of Fantine in the touring production of Les Misérables in late 1988, Beechman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After months of treatment, with her longtime friend Ken Gilmurray by her side, Laurie bounced back with a celebrated cabaret act at New York's legendary Ballroom. This was quickly followed by a new production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

In early 1990, Beechman made her long awaited debut as Fantine in the Broadway production of Les Misérables. She stayed for several months, eventually heading out on tour where she finally played the role in Philadelphia during the Christmas season of 1990. During this time, her self-produced solo recording, Listen To My Heart, was released to great acclaim. The following fall she celebrated regaining her health after fighting off a recurrence of her cancer by, as she put it, "throwing myself a nightclub act," returning once again to the Ballroom.

Later Life and Death

During the later years of her life, Beechman married Neil Mazzella in 1992, recorded three more solo albums, performed countless concerts and club dates, sang at President Bill Clinton's second Inaugural Gala, was awarded the Gilda's Club's "It's Always Something" Award, and returned to singing and acting.

In early 1995, Beechman's cancer returned. She spent an hour on The Phil Donahue Show singing and discussing her condition and her will to keep going.

Although her treatments were ongoing, Beechman continued performing until just a few months before her death on March 8, 1998 at the age of 44. One month later, a memorial service was held for Beechman at the Winter Garden Theatre, the theatre where Cats played for so many years. She was survived by her mother, stepfather, two sisters, and husband, Neil Mazzella. She was buried at Montefiore Cemetery in Rockledge, Pennsylvania.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City is named for her.